Gear review: Drifter Medium Laptop Backpack by STM

March 20, 2015

Photo: STM

The Drifter Medium Laptop Backpack by STM

The Drifter Medium Laptop Backpack by STM

Plenty of laptop packs appear to have ample space when they're in the store. But slide in a 15-inch MacBook and some gear in the outside pockets and suddenly the main compartment is useless for anything but small or flat items and clothing. While trying to design a backpack that provides more laptop protection, the folks at STM also managed to solve the inner space problem, mostly by mounting the front pockets to extend outside the body of the bag, instead of having them take up space inside.

What we liked: The Drifter has "suspended pockets" that prevent a laptop and a tablet from taking the full force of a dropped bag (or a jolt from the sides). The gate-mouth opening to the main compartment is handy, as is the zippered mesh sleeve in the door for storing small items. We didn't get to use it, but the bag comes with a detachable rain cover for sudden storms (if you go somewhere that actually gets rain).

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Lifestyle

Not so much: The bag is a little boxy and probably not going to turn heads - especially with the mildly frumpy gray exterior; it also comes in red - but it wasn't really designed for that. Also, be aware the Drifter meets size limits for carry-on luggage for most U.S. airlines, but is too big to be a "personal item," so don't try to make this your second bag.